Is the Hyper-Accelerated Dragon Unsound?

Originally posted by dottewell
I think he was saying some people might get a draw, as it were.

I've drawn against Fritz (in correspondance conditions [1 day per move for me, 30 minutes per move for Fritz]) on occasion.

Against Fritz. OK. But what about against Fritz 9 on a high end PC?

Originally posted by exigentsky
Against Fritz. OK. But what about against Fritz 9 on a high end PC?

Fritz 9 doesn't play much better than 8 and I have a highend PC (A64 3500+). It's all about database play and not making mistakes. Granted Fritz will beat me much more often than I draw but still. It's not impossible.

Ok, even though Fritz is really beside the point of this thread. Let's get back to the Dragon. 😉

Originally posted by exigentsky
My main question is: Is the Hyper Accelerated Dragon actualyl an inferior defense or are the statistics misleading?

How would a bunch of us 1500 rated players know? Go back to my previous post....what are the grandmasters playing? They (usually) don't play bad openings!

Well, what's right for the grandmasters may be too complex for me. Anyway, GMs play the Hyper Accelerated Dragon also, but that doesn't automatically make it good or bad. Some GMs are actually known to play openings considered inferior because they are great experts in them. Lev Alburt for example, played the Alekhine Defense even though he knew that with correct play White had an edge.

Has anyone found any good books or other resources on the Hyper-Accelerated Dragon? (a complement for my main book)

BTW; If I were to abandon the Hyper-Accelerated Dragon, what do you guys consider a strong, maybe similar alternative? (except the Pirc)

YESSS! I looked over my opening book more carefully and the worst variations of the Maroczy (B38, B39) are excluded by their move order. 🙂 This stll leaves the possibility of the Maroczy, but a much tamer version than in the Breyer variation where White scores 28% better!

wow, i wish i could reach the stage where a slight positional plus after 15 moves into the accelerated dragon meant something useful. At my level poor endgame play and an inability to see threats will negate any benefit in perfect opening play.

Are you just referring to yourself or are you suggesting that I'm in the same boat as you. If so, you are probably right, the positional benefit of the Maroczy bind won't be the deciding factor in a game at my level, it will usually be a tactical miscalculation. But despite this, I want an opening that I will not outgrow at higher levels, that's why this stuff matters to me even now.

Originally posted by XanthosNZ
...Granted Fritz will beat me much more often than I draw but still. It's not impossible.

still, on the 'powershaker-scale' that makes you 2800. 🙂

about the topic, I just analyzed a draw of mine, where I pissed away 3-pawn lead (1-pawn material difference) in endgame, without clear material blundering. although I sac'ed that one pawn for a tempo, the 2-pawn positional edge was lost little by little, simply by making slightly inferior moves. it seems pretty pointless to worry about some opening variation giving an advantage of fraction of a pawn over another, at my 1500-level. the opponent was rated about the same.

Originally posted by Gambitzoid
accelarated dragon
e4 e5
nf3 d6
d4 cd
nxd4 g6!? (allowing 5.c4 the maroczy bind)
[Heavily edited]

No this is not the accelerated Dragon. The point of the accelerated Dragon is to get d5 in without playing d7-d6 first. What you've described is a normal Dragon with a slightly unusual move order. Although I agree that some contributors can be scathing when it's not called for...

The Maroczy bind is a positional pain but frankly less of a problem for black than most of the more agressive attacks in the Dragon main line. A very early g6 probably won't stop a later c4 by white.

To be honest it's really quite rare to see unusual openings from 2,000+ players. They tend to go for main line openings (unless they're trying stuff out) on the basis that you can always try to outplay your opponent from a position that is good, or at least not bad. Playing the middle and end game well earns more points than some fancy bit of opening technology...

To be honest it's really quite rare to see unusual openings from 2,000+ players........Playing the middle and end game well earns more points than some fancy bit of opening technology...[/b]

DeepThought.....You are making too much sense for anybody to listen!

Originally posted by DeepThought
No this is not the accelerated Dragon. The point of the accelerated Dragon is to get d5 in without playing d7-d6 first. What you've described is a normal Dragon with a slightly unusual move order. Although I agree that some contributors can be scathing when it's not called for...

The Maroczy bind is a positional pain but frankly less of a problem f ...[text shortened]... the middle and end game well earns more points than some fancy bit of opening technology...

Of course you're right; the Accelerated Dragon has 2 .... Nc6 rather than d6.

Has far as 2000+ and unusual openings, I'm not sure I agree with you. If you are talking about correspondence chess, then I guess that's probably true as you have little chance of catching your opponent in an unfamiliar opening. I do notice, however, that in OTB's some Expert players do play "unusual openings" like the Bird or Sokolsky or the Smith-Morra as White to get into lines that they know well but their opponents might not. I also see the Scandinavian a lot.

Originally posted by no1marauder
Of course you're right; the Accelerated Dragon has 2 .... Nc6 rather than d6.

Has far as 2000+ and unusual openings, I'm not sure I agree with you. If you are talking about correspondence chess, then I guess that's probably true as you have little chance of catching your opponent in an unfamiliar opening. I do notice, however, that in OTB's som ...[text shortened]... ines that they know well but their opponents might not. I also see the Scandinavian a lot.

What about Marek Troken? 😉

Originally posted by no1marauder
Of course you're right; the Accelerated Dragon has 2 .... Nc6 rather than d6.

Has far as 2000+ and unusual openings, I'm not sure I agree with you. If you are talking about correspondence chess, then I guess that's probably true as you have little chance of catching your opponent in an unfamiliar opening. I do notice, however, that in OTB's som ines that they know well but their opponents might not. I also see the Scandinavian a lot.

Ha, well it's in progress, so comments should be kept to "yes that's fairly unusual" or in your case "told you so": Game 1435748.

Tony Miles famously beat Karpov that time with 1. e4 a6. I've found that with correspondence chess you tend to get fairly main line stuff from the stronger players. Although I'm not sure that the Bird, Sokolsky or Smith-Morra are that unusual and certainly not the Scandinavian, I was more thinking of wackier stuff (cf. the Vulture Defence thread) ...